Rishkar's Expertise MTG Card

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Rishkar’s Expertise enables players to draw cards equal to the greatest power among creatures they control, a significant boost that can often result in a massive refill of your hand, propelling you ahead in gathering resources.

Resource Acceleration: One of the key attractions of this spell is that after drawing cards, you may cast a card with a converted mana cost of 5 or less from your hand without paying its mana cost. This allows you to potentially put a potent creature, enchantment, or planeswalker onto the battlefield, significantly accelerating your board presence.

Instant Speed: While Rishkar’s Expertise is a sorcery, its vast effect mimics the immediate impact that instant-speed spells have on the game state, often catching opponents off-guard with a sudden wave of card draw and free casting ability.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Rishkar’s Expertise does not have a discard requirement, it does necessitate a considerable board presence to be fully effective. Without a creature of substantial power to draw a significant number of cards, its potential diminishes.

Specific Mana Cost: This card’s cost is steeped in the green color, requiring a commitment to green mana sources. Its double green mana cost makes it less accessible for decks that aren’t heavily invested in green.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Rishkar’s Expertise demands six mana, with a particular emphasis on green. Despite its powerful effect, the cost is high and might be a setback in fast-paced games where tempo is critical.

Reasons to Include Rishkar’s Expertise in Your Collection

Versatility: Rishkar’s Expertise serves multiple roles within a deck, as it allows you to draw cards equal to the greatest power among creatures you control and play another card with mana cost 5 or less for free. This can be a significant turning point in games, fitting into green-based decks that boast large creatures.

Combo Potential: This card can instantly provide the fuel for various combos predominantly in green decks, facilitating card advantage and board presence without additional costs. Its ability to cast another spell for free synergizes with numerous cards, creating opportunities for explosive turns.

Meta-Relevance: In any meta where building a formidable board is key, Rishkar’s Expertise can offer the powerful swing needed to dominate. Its relevance stretches across various formats where the presence of big creatures can translate directly into game-winning card advantage.

How to beat

Rishkar’s Expertise stands out as an incredible green spell in the vast library of Magic: The Gathering, providing both card draw and the ability to cast another spell for free, up to a certain mana value. Beating this card hinges on timing and strategy. As Rishkar’s Expertise is commonly played in decks that ramp up mana quickly and deploy large creatures, countering it requires a proactive approach. Disruptive spells like Negate or Thoughtseize can prevent it from hitting the field or remove it from the opponent’s hand before it becomes a threat.

Another effective tactic involves limiting the opponent’s board presence. Since the card’s strength is directly tied to the largest power among creatures you control, keeping the board clear of large creatures significantly diminishes its value. Board wipes like Wrath of God or targeted removal such as Fatal Push are pivotal in managing the threat. By controlling the creatures on the battlefield, you mitigate the impact Rishkar’s Expertise can have on the game’s outcome. Ultimately, timely disruption, resource denial, and strategic control of the game’s pace are key to overcoming the advantage this card offers.